Sabbath Message  12/11/37/120

Dear Friends,

Let us look at Isaiah 28 and see what is the basic thrust of the message.

What does God really mean when He says in:
Isaiah 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

Who or what, when and how is the overflowing scourge? To whom does the prophecy refer over what period?

The First part of the chapter refers to the drunkards of Ephraim and shows that this prophecy somehow is connected to the tribe of Ephraim and they have been effected  by strong drink and their priests are somehow corrupted.  Why is Isaiah dealing with Ephraim here and not Judah and Levi? The answer is that we are far into the future and dealing with the birthright promise of Ephraim delivered by Jacob in Genesis 48:13-20 where Ephraim was given supremacy over Manasseh even though he was the younger and he was to be a mighty people as a company of nations and in him was the calling of the Gentiles to God. In this section he has failed his task in Israel and had to be sent into captivity and then rescued from it by the Messiah which is the purpose of the prophecy in Isaiah and over the period of dispersion to the Last Days.

Genesis 48
[13] And Joseph took them both, E'phraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manas'seh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 
[14] And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon the head of E'phraim, who was the younger, and his left hand upon the head of Manas'seh, crossing his hands, for Manas'seh was the first-born. 
[15] And he blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has led me all my life long to this day,
[16] the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."
[17] When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of E'phraim, it displeased him; and he took his father's hand, to remove it from E'phraim's head to Manas'seh's head.
[18] And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this one is the first-born; put your right hand upon his head." 
[19] But his father refused, and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." 
[20] So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, `God make you as E'phraim and as Manas'seh'";
[21] Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 
[22] Moreover I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow." 

So also the blessings on Joseph were in Genesis 49:22-26.

This text in Isaiah 28 is meant for the elect of God that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts (v. 9). For the word of God is precept upon precept and line upon line, here a little there a little (v. 10) for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. (v. 11).  Thus Ephraim was to speak another tongue as was Israel. God said through Isaiah this is the rest for the weary to rest and the refreshing that they could teach but they would not hear (v. 12).

Verse 11 was quoted in 1Cor. 14:21; taking the words out of their own taunting lips and turning them against themselves.
Verse 13 shows that these words and precepts and lines were set so that they might fall backwards and snare themselves on their own false teachings. Thus the entire priesthood of Israel was ensnared by their false teachings and false doctrine and false prophecy to the Last Days.  In the Last Days even the Churches of God are ensnared by the false calendar of post Temple Judaism.
Verse 14 is directed at the scornful men that rule this people from Jerusalem. This refers to the King and the priests and prophets over the entire period of the dispersion and over the Forty Jubilees in the wilderness to the reclamation of Jerusalem in 1967 at the beginning of the period of the Mourning for Aaron to 1997 and then over the Mourning for Moses from 1997-2027.

Thus the scenario is set where they have made the covenant. The wrath of God that is the overflowing scourge sent to them by word of the prophets are believed; they will not harm them because they have made lies their refuge and false prophecy their security.

From verse 15 we then proceed to verse 16 and see that it is the Messiah that is the corner stone referred to by Peter in 1Peter 2:6.

He is given judgment and righteousness and the Messiah will by hail sweep away lies and with a flood shall inundate the hiding places and expose them all. This refers to the fact that the Temple was removed and made a spiritual temple and would last until Messiah came again. This was the falsehood and refuge of the ministry of the Churches of God in the Last Days. Judgment began with the house of God in 1987 and it was to last forty years until the Jubilee of 2027.

Verse 18 says their deal or covenant with the false teachers and workers of Satan as was made over the centuries and finally from 1987 to 1994 will be disannulled and finally they will all be destroyed.

In verse 19 we see that from the time that the report goes forth it will take them away. The “report” is actually the “hearing” and it will be a vexation for them to understand the prophecy from morning to morning and by day and by night and they will be terrified by it. This is the prophecy referred to in Revelation chapter 10 where it is as sweet as honey in the mouths but bitter in their stomach as they digest the word of God.

So also has this simile been used in the prophets elsewhere.  The proper place of the texts in Isaiah will be clear with the full commentary.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General